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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

T. D. BURK, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO JAMES GARRETT, OF OGLE COUNTY,

. ILLINOIS.

DEVICE T0 ALLOW FOR CONTRACTION AND EXPANSION IN WIRE IFE-NCES.

Speccaton of Letters Patent No. 14,751, date'd April 22, 1856.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I THOMAS D. BURK, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and Sta-te of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement on a Wire Fence; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description of the saine.

The nature of my invention consists in providing a key, lever and weight for stretching the wire and for preserving a uniform tension of the same, and also in providing a stay to be placed between the different posts, to which stay the wire is attached, and allowing the wire to yield to lateral pressure, and prevent-ing the same from breaking.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

I construct my fence in any of the known forms. I insert into a fence post as many keys as the fence contains wires. The key is made to turn in the post. To the key the wire is attached, and winds around the key. The key is constructed with a large head into which a lever is inserted. At the other extremity of the lever a weight is attached. As this weight is lowered, it turns the key and winds the wire thereon, which thereby becomes stretched and tightened. Whenever the wire contracts from the eHects: of cold or from any other cause, or whenever there is a pressure upon it at any point, the weight rises, and the wire is at once relieved; and as soon as the pressure is removed the weight falls and the wire is restored to it-s proper tension. The key, lever and weight may be constructed of any desired material. A wire is attached to some permanent object near the base of the keypost, which passes over and around each lever, forming a loop, with sufficient space to allow the lever to move the required distance, and to prevent the same from moving too far in either direction. The keys are put into as many posts as may be necessary to stretch the wire suliiciently.

The stay is a small post placed midway between the ordinary regular posts, and constructed of wgood. The lower end of the stay is attached by a wire joint, to a stake driven permanently into the ground. This joint allows the wire to yield to lateral pressure from cattle or any yother object, modifies the force bearing against it, and prevents the breaking of the wire.

For a further description of my invention reference is had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which-- A, represents the key post; B, B, B represents the wires; C, C, C, represents head of the keys; D, D, D, represents the levers; E, E, E, represents the weights at the end of the levers.

a, b, and F represents t-he wire to keep the levers in their places; Gr, represents the stay; H, represents wire joint attaching the stay to the stake in the ground.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent ish The application of the key, the lever, the weight and the stay to a Wire fence as herein described, and for the purposes and uses herein specied,

T. D. BURK. Witnesses:

J. THEO. WENTWORTH, C, I-I. DUCK, 

